Friday, August 8, 2025

🌕 Nikini Full Moon Poya Day 🌕

🌕 Nikini Full Moon Poya Day 🌕

Nikini Poya Flyer

Nikini Poya, the second full-moon observance of Sri Lanka’s three-month rainy retreat (Vas) season, commemorates the First Buddhist Council convened three months after the Buddha’s Parinirvana when Mahākassapa Thera gathered senior disciples in the Sattapanni Cave at Rajagaha (modern Bihar, India) to recite and codify the Sutta and Vinaya Pitakas—an effort sealed by Ānanda Thera’s attainment of arahantship and steadfast memory.

As the southwest monsoon drapes the island in intermittent rain, lay devotees honor this sacred day by visiting temples with offerings of fresh flowers, fragrant incense, oil lamps, and alms for the monastic community. Many adopt eight or ten precepts, refraining from meat and alcohol, while listening to Dhamma reflections on ethical discipline, communal harmony, and the enduring power of collective effort in preserving the Buddha’s teachings.

Monks, who remain in seclusion throughout Vas, lead guided morning and evening meditation sittings that welcome lay participation, deepening mindfulness and concentration. In certain regions, the solemnity of Nikini Poya blends with cultural pageantry as temples conclude the Esala Perahera in Kandy with illuminated day processions of ornate Buddha statues, symbolizing the light of wisdom dispelling ignorance.

For those seeking to internalize the day’s significance, simple acts such as journaling insights from meditation, mindful walking in nature after rituals, or sharing stories of the Dhamma lineage with younger generations can anchor the timeless lessons of cooperation, ethical mindfulness, and compassionate living that the First Council so emphatically underscored.

In 2025, this convergence of history, ritual, and communal spirit falls on Friday, August 8, inviting practitioners worldwide to renew their commitment to the living legacy of the Buddha’s path.

ලෝක මානුෂීය දිනය

ලෝක මානුෂීය දිනය ලෝක මානුෂීය දිනය ආධාර සැපයීම සඳහා තම ජීවිත පරදුවට තබා මානුෂීය සේවයේ යෙදී සිටි...